GRAHAM CANTY has had his dismissal in the Cork-Kerry Munster SFC semi-final replay last month struck from his record after taking the case to the GAA's Central Hearings Committee (CHC).

And, while he would be eligible to play against Cavan in next weekend's qualifier in any event, it raises the question of whether Cork would, in fact, be playing in tomorrow's Munster final had Canty remained on the field against Kerry.

Referee Pat McEnaney cited Canty for "tripping his opponent with the foot" after a 65th-minute tackle on Colm Cooper as he bore down on the Cork goal. Cooper pointed the free to bring Kerry level and the game eventually went to extra-time.

Cork were allowed to replace Canty for extra-time but missed his commanding presence in defence and lost by a point.

Canty, who strongly protested his innocence immediately after the game, claimed he got a toe to the ball before Cooper went down. He requested a hearing and has had the dismissal erased from his record.

Interestingly, the CHC held that Canty did not trip Cooper but added that they were "not making any finding as to whether he committed any infraction in this instance".

It's unusual for a player to seek a hearing in a situation where he was going to miss no further games but Canty obviously felt it was worth pursuing in an attempt to have a dismissal purged from his record.

However, it's of no practical use to Cork, who have to take the long-distance qualifier route if they are to revive their All-Ireland ambitions.